Number One Salesman Extraordinaire!

Sampo Koski askblog!

[mr-cold-feet]

Effective since October 19: revamp!

“If you want anything up in the Overworld, I’m your guy! Wanna strike a deal?”

“Come on… Sampo Koski always helps his friends!

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘ ⋆ ꩜ ⋆ ⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

Ask Sampo Koski anything (don’t rat him out to the guards -by request of Sampo)

No nsfw, will try to act in character, oh also go ham, if you ship something (that isn’t illegal) you can ask it (whether it be, like, x reader or x another character)

[sunderingstars]

✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ VIII. THE UNASSUMING GOD, THE TRICKSTER GOD ⌝

aha!sampo project m.list ⟡ sampo analysis m.list

— what the stars reveal: aha!sampo, analysis, waxing poetic, narrative structure & technique, character archetypes, specifically trickster gods

— word count: 2.2k

— overview: a discussion of how the trickster god archetype, complete with unpredictability and challenging the status quo, relates to aha!sampo.

This may be a slightly tangential topic, but I do love me a trickster god. Trickster gods can be broadly defined as deities, often mythological figures, who embody chaos, cunning, and unpredictability. They are seen across languages and cultures, and can be depicted as heroes, villains, or even the gray area between. A defining characteristic of trickster gods is often their ability to shapeshift, and their unpredictability leads to a kind of narrative flexibility that challenges the status quo.

If anyone is interested in a further source, I recommend:

“Trickster Gods and the Mortals Who Love Them | Fate & Fabled” from PBS Storied on YouTube

And, for a more in-depth discussion:

“The Psychology of the Trickster” from Externalised on YouTube

I also want to point out the differences between tricksters and fools. Despite being similar archetypes, both embodying duality, entertainment, and elements of comedy, the fool is often portrayed as a more “innocent and naïve figure,” while the trickster occupies a devious role, seeking to “trick others and laugh at them” (“The Psychology of the Fool,” Externalised) (8:45). The fool laughs with others (and the self), but the trickster laughs at them, often taking pleasure in harm.

In my opinion, Sampo occupies a combination of the two—specifically, I believe he is a trickster (Aha) playing the fool (Sampo), as tricksters often do. He presents to the world as an innocent businessman, a harmless Masked Fool, while hiding the truth of his intentions. His quick wit and shady dealings make it easier for him to occupy the shadows, and his position as a Masked Fool makes it easier to convince others there is nothing more to see. The undercurrents of well-hidden danger and intention run through his interactions, contrasting his persona as a lighthearted Fool. His parallels to “Spirithief” Bartholos—Zagreus, the Titan of Trickery—are especially striking in this comparison, as Zagreus occupies a similar trickster role to Aha. (Notably, Zagreus often “plays the fool” as “Spirithief” Bartholos, feigning innocence or ignorance for the sake of tricking others, much like Aha and Sampo.)

Speaking of Aha, one of the reasons I love Them so much is because of Their existence as a trickster god in the Aeonic pantheon. This leads Them away from “cosmic horror” and towards the more personal, archetype-oriented mythology commonly found in folklore, of course with a dose of cosmic vastness for flavor. They are, in a way, predictable in Their unpredictability, often following in the mythological footsteps of deities like Loki, Anansi, and Sun Wukong. Similarities include Aha’s ability to shapeshift at will, Their penchant for tricking or surprising others (whether for better or for worse), Their shifting personality between friend and foe, and Their challenging of the status quo. One day, They might steal from the rich to give to the poor, or provide someone with the power needed to improve their life, but the next, They blow up half the Astral Express and rack up a significant tab posing as a Nameless at the Tavern. 

This unpredictability is what makes Them so fun to be around, narratively-speaking. Aha is engaging precisely because They are flexible—if the plot needs a boost, let Aha do it! This is the same for Sampo. I would argue that Sampo is just as much of a trickster as a fool, archetypically-speaking, and some of the Fools who are Pathstriders, like Sparkle, can fit here as well. Both Sampo and Sparkle have the ability to shapeshift, Sparkle’s being more overt, while Sampo is left more to implication in his character stories. At the very least, he is accustomed to taking new identities in order to trick, surprise, or fool others. It’s difficult to tell sometimes whether Sampo will be a friend or a foe—while I, lovingly, always consider him a friend, sometimes he makes chaotic decisions (such as that smoke bomb on Belobog or sending scam links in live chat) that shade him in a morally-grey light. While these decisions always turn out for the Express’ (and Belobog’s) benefit in the end, there are many moments where the characters and audience are left to wonder what role he actually plays in the grand scheme of heroes, villains, and fools.

Aha!Sampo doubly aligns with these metrics. It’s twice the good stuff. Aha, as a trickster god, could understandably use the identity of Sampo to accomplish chaotic jokes, and Sampo, Aha’s foolish persona, could take these shenanigans further in his downtime. When Sampo gets on stage, Aha reveals all the fun lights and glitter and laughter of a performance, and when Aha steps off stage, Sampo continues Their work in the shadows, posing as Madam Poisson and stealing relics under the noses of city officials. In fact, the identity of Sampo is so unassuming, so pathetically broke at times, that no one would suspect Aha, not really.

They’ve dug Themself deep—They’re committed to the bit, in it for the long con. Their simple existence as Sampo challenges the status quo, challenges the ability for Aeons to be detached and distant. An Aeon, walking among us? Walking among a forgotten, snow-ridden planet, in the universe’s glorified cosmic dump? No one would believe it. And yet Sampo continues to run supplies for Natasha, to step in for Serval’s band. Aha, for whatever reason, is in hiding. Perhaps They are vulnerable, or recovering from a nasty wound, or afflicted by a curse, or desperately needing a vacation. They could be tiredly soft-launching retirement. They may want a normal life; to be seen beyond godhood, to be loved beyond immortality. Or They could simply be doing it for fun. Waiting for the Trailblazer to densely walk past so They can put into motion the universe’s greatest surprise. Perhaps all at once.

Because that’s the game: Being unpredictable, and chaotic, and quick-witted by nature. Getting out of sticky situations with a silver tongue and smoke bombs. It fascinates me that Aha is potentially, intentionally, creating Their own weaknesses, simply to make the game more fun. As Sampo mentioned during the Cosmicon Collective quest, if he were to intervene outright, to push things in one direction or another, he’d just get accused of using his tricks. (He uses the word “tricks” specifically.) And that’s no fun for an Aeon, is it? Under the surface, I can see a very sincere want to accomplish something of his own merit—to forego the status of Aeon, the identity of Aha, and just play the game. Prove “Sampo” can do something on his own. If he wins, it’s all him. If he loses, just as well. The point is that it was him regardless.

In Externalised’s video, “The Psychology of the Trickster,” tricksters are specifically discussed as disguising themselves as someone “very lowly” to overcome “so-called great” others—the trickster reverses the idea of “the great helping the lowly,” by becoming the lowly who topples the great (25:26). I believe Aha disguising Themself as Sampo may serve this role—the one pretending to be a “Fool,” who is, in reality, a trickster god in disguise. However, it is also possible that Aha has become fooled Themself, the result of another common plotline among tricksters: hubris preceding a great fall.

Relevant to Aha!Sampo, the trickster also embodies duality. The same being that fools others is themself fooled, often leading to punishment. As Externalised quotes from Paul Radin’s The Trickster: “Trickster is at one and the same creator and destroyer, giver and negator, he who dupes and who is always duped himself.” (08:50) Tricksters embody shadow, the unconscious, and duality. They are not good or evil, but are responsible for both; the duality reveals itself in the sides of light versus dark, in the unity that underlies duality. It is “… the peculiar unity of the liminal: that which is neither this nor that, and yet is both” (10:38). They are respected, they are feared, they are mocked. In Aha’s case, They may even be praised. The trickster is an amoral being, yet often protective of humanity, yet at the same time split within themself, different parts fighting with another for dominance.

This is very similar to Sampo’s character motifs of love/hate, protection, and “spending,” and blends with his additional fool (Masked Fool) archetype quite well. Not all fools are tricksters, but many tricksters can become fools or disguise themselves as one—Sampo, characteristic of a trickster, embodies the duality of harmlessness and danger. He blends the light nature of the fool with the darker, amoral undercurrents of a trickster. He protects those close to him, covers himself in sheep’s clothing, yet still something waits in the background for a chance to strike. Like a trickster, he represents the shadow of man. After all, no one suspects that “… his own hidden and apparently harmless shadow has qualities whose dangerousness exceeds his wildest dreams.” (22:30)

This is Aha: a chaotic god of mischief, a shapeshifter dually embodying laughter and sorrow, at once praised and despised. A creator and destroyer, the playful spark of an unconscious mind. The stage and the lights, the glamor of the game.

This is Sampo: a man of shadows and smoke, a figure dually embodying love and hate, at once fooling others and being fooled himself. A protector and a betrayer, the danger of a silhouette lurking in the background.

Together, they form one whole: the trickster masked as a Fool, the lowly disguise of a great entity meant to push the boundaries of understanding. The body and its shadow, the Mask and its Silhouette. Apparent duality that coalesces into unity. One into two, and two into one. Aha!Sampo is neither this nor that, and yet he is both. Two sides of the same coin, caught in a never-ending cycle of cause and effect. Sparkle calls him a “Fool,” because perhaps he is one. Perhaps Aha, in Their disguise, has become Themselves fooled and forsaken. Perhaps the war within Themself has grown too loud, too grating. Perhaps this is simply the cycle of cause and effect.

Both Aha and Sampo also seem to be fond of loopholes. Much like the Spirithief and Zagreus, they seem to have some amount of control over spacetime, which adds to their unpredictability. Sampo especially seems to be able to appear and disappear at will, which could track with the idea of any physical manifestation of Aha’s form, essentially, being a projection from a higher plane. It’s really fun to see Sampo bend over backwards to find a way out of a situation, if not disappear entirely. It’s also fun to think about how Aha might react to being cornered with a debt notice, since They seem to chronically avoid responsibility.

With Aha!Sampo, there’s so many wonderful ways loopholes can manifest. I’m especially thinking of the Tavern here—we know Aha is banned, but anything related to Them is not. I could see Sampo being confronted by Sparkle, or someone else who knows his secret, only for him to hold up his Mask and go: “Aha only exists when I have the Mask on, and clearly I don’t have the Mask on. Unless you want to ban poor Sampo too?” And the other party is forced to let him in because damn, he technically isn’t wrong. I also like the idea of Aha signing the Astral Express debt notice, only for Sampo to dodge it completely by going, “Look buddy, it clearly says Aha right there. I’m Sampo. Do those names look the same to you?” And when the Trailblazer points out it’s the exact same handwriting he goes, “Yeah, but the names are still different” with a fuckass smirk on his face. Man, I love the idea of Aha chronically avoiding Their responsibilities as Sampo. Finding loopholes in every little area, cracks in spacetime They can slip through to get some moment of respite.

However, as many trickster stories are wont to do, there’s a good chance Aha!Sampo has already been or will be on the receiving end of some kind of consequence to Their actions. You can only run for so long—eventually the past will catch up to you. Aha, the trickster god, playing Sampo, the unassuming Fool, likely realizes this. But Sampo cannot stop running. Aha has set the tracks, and Sampo must continue on them. Aha racks up debt after debt after debt, runs a tab at the Tavern, blows up the Express, relies on Sparkle for favors, and Sampo runs. It’s all he can do. It’s fun at first; the feeling of freedom, the thrill of wit. But then Sparkle finds him, pries into his secrets, crosses her arms and continues to pester him even after he points out his eyes are blue right now, not red. She’s secretly fond, but she won’t let him off the hook.

Then there’s the Tavern, who plasters his Mask at the front, next to his own goddamn door, and strikes a big red cross through it. It’s funny at first. It quickly sours. Aha’s followers don’t want Them. It feels like they don’t want him, either. The resentment builds. Aha racks up a tab as Sampo, now, and groans when Zhongshan cuts him off. Sparkle makes him wash dishes. Giovanni gives him a withering look when a valuable piece in storage goes missing. It’s your own collection, Gio says. What’s the point?

What is the point, Sampo starts to think, if all I ever do is owe, and owe, and owe? Jokes aren’t fun if they have taxes. Aha wasn’t built for this. It’s monotonous. It’s boring. So They run again. They run all the way to an isolated planet and try to start over. The name’s Sampo Koski, They say, and hope it sticks; hope the wool pulled over Their fur is enough to find warmth. Sampo owes favors to Wildfire and Natasha, now. It’s all the same. He could ignore them, but the horrible, brutal truth hits him when he’s halfway through a heist: He cares. Sampo cares, and Aha cares, and together they can feel a train coming—some inevitable fate—because Aha isn’t supposed to care. That’s the status quo. That’s what Aha is. That’s why Sampo exists, to run. To make Aha fleet-footed and quick-witted, to cheat and steal and hide, to commit multiple of the universe’s biggest tax evasions at the same time. To forget about the rejection, the betrayal. To be somewhere no Aeonic debtors come knocking.

Love shackles Them, both of Them, painfully and cruelly ironic. This time, They stand still as Sampo hears the horn of a train. There’s a long list with a name on it, there. He can’t remember who signed. He loves Belobog enough to stay. The train is coming. He is tired and does not want to leave. The train arrives. He doesn’t think he wants to run, anymore.

thanks for reading to the end !! :3

© analysis by sunderingstars. do not copy, repost, translate, modify, or claim my work as your own. do not feed my work to ai.

[sunderingstars]

sampo you have to stop… the allegations……..

[mr-cold-feet]

If any yumes/selfshippers interacted with me, I’d give them their own yume tags so they can a. Specifically look at those interactions and b. Block other yume tags in case they’re nonsharing ^v^

[mr-cold-feet]

How's it going, Mr. Koski? Been a while since I visited, hasn't it?

It has been a while, huh? Well, I’m still doing quite well, making good deals, and earning plenty of shield and credits!

[mr-cold-feet]

“They elation on my elation so I out-elation their elation”

On Aha 🙌

[mr-cold-feet]

By the way, if it needs to be stated, yumeshippers are welcome to interact with me! (Just specify in parentheses that you want him to be romantic!)

[mr-cold-feet]

[actorsmask]

Do you have any time to help a certain Bosski out, he may have angered a guard general or four, hehe…

(Guess who guess who)

(@mr-cold-feet)

“… Hmmm, and why should I help you out of this situation?”

[mr-cold-feet]

Because I’m your big brother! Why wouldn’t you help me?

[mr-cold-feet]

Thinking back to the time someone I knew irl who hardly played hsr tried to correct me on my Sampo lore while I was like at the peak of running this blog. Like no, I don’t think the Masked Fools is a money based organization bud…

[mr-cold-feet]

I randomly remembered this account exists. It’s actually wild to me that I managed to do something as big as this. Thick and thin, this account was a positive for me. And no, I’m not quitting. Sure, I don’t play Hoyoverse games anymore and despise the company, but that doesn’t mean I can’t nab the characters and analyze them separately from their origin

[manganyeh-deactivated20251215]

what does your heart look like?

iced over, out of the sun

Your heart is very lonely, isn’t it? Is your fortress of ice self-made? Are others afraid of you, or are you afraid of them? Are you afraid of hurting them, or of being hurt? Vulnerability and connection can be frightening, but that’s no reason to shy away from their light, to tuck yourself small into corners, to build up frigid walls to keep yourself from feeling. You will heal when you allow yourself to draw closer to the flames and thaw.

((MY GOD THIS IS BOOTHILL 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭))

tagged: @reesespieces-org

tagging: @intergalactic-singer @a-gilded-imprisonment @environmental-explorer @veritas-ratio-rp @sunday-halovian @hxroic-wxlls-fxrever

@emanator-of-nihility @intoendlessdreams @ancientforgcd @heart-of-roses-and-quartz @musefulness

And anyone else who wants to join

[heart-of-roses-and-quartz]

iced over, out of the sun

Your heart is very lonely, isn’t it? Is your fortress of ice self-made? Are others afraid of you, or are you afraid of them? Are you afraid of hurting them, or of being hurt? Vulnerability and connection can be frightening, but that’s no reason to shy away from their light, to tuck yourself small into corners, to build up frigid walls to keep yourself from feeling. You will heal when you allow yourself to draw closer to the flames and thaw.

((Ooc: Another reason why Boothill and Shilou could have gotten along if Shilou wasn't a Stoneheart,,,sobs))

@chxotic-dxcklings @bluetailed-butterfly @actorsmask

[actorsmask]

Blythe: a guiding, golden light

Just because you cannot see your own heart doesn’t mean that others can’t. Your heart is blinding, captivating, a fire so bright that others can’t bring themselves to look away. It illuminates the path they follow and cements you as a guiding star for their own wayward hearts. Every experience you’ve lived through has built your lighthouse heart up just a little higher. You are inspirational, a light that doesn’t go out.

Omg this fits them so well :(( a fire so bright that others can’t bring themselves to look away, for better or for worse… aw man…

tagging: @ekacucumber, @4a-t5u, or anyone else who wants to join

[mr-cold-feet]

Sampo: a tangled ball of red strings

Who are you without the company of others? You aren’t sure, but you know that you aren’t fond of whoever it is. You are an actor, a pretty face and a pleasant song. Many idolize you, or love you, but you can never be sure of how sincere it is. Your heart is buried under the letters they leave you, sealed with a kiss. It can’t be untangled from the red strings they’ve attached to you. You deserve to find something, someone, true and faithful to hold your heart in place. You don’t have to be everything to everyone.

(Answered with the version of him I’ve been building)

[actorsmask]

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

I may be a bit late for this post, but nevertheless, I still wanted to make it.

But no, I am NOT quitting this blog. I am NOT quitting tumblr in general!

Ok now that that’s settled…

My New Years letter to you all!

Warnings: VERY LONG….

I just want to say that I am so incredibly thankful for all of your support on all three of my blogs(even if some are more well known than others). Last year, when I had first formatted this blog, I was just a simple anon with an assigned emoji that terrorized a Gepard and Sampo blog for the fun of it. And to make them kiss, but we all knew that already. But back then, I never thought my blog would grow so much, and turn into a safe space for me to create and enjoy my OCs and interests with others.

Tumblr, as cheesy as it sounds, has actually changed my life. I’ve met so many people on this app, some that I talk to daily as well, people that I consider some of my best friends. My ride-or-dies. It may have only started with two people, but then it grew to four, then the Jarilo server was made. It was there that I got to meet so many more people, make even more connections, able to help expand more on Blythe thanks to their help, and have fun times in general. Rethinking on those times fills me with indescribable joy, and I’m glad that those joyous things happened to me.

Of course, there were bad things bound to happen throughout the year. I will not divulge as it is very old news though. But unfortunately a chain of events led to the deletion of the Jarilo server I mentioned above, and the loss of a few friends. As well as some revelations on who really are my friends and people who aren’t really to my preference of character. Those times were stressful, and while I wish things could’ve gone differently… You can’t really travel back in time to the past, right? So while I regret some things that happened, I’m glad that I am still able to remember the goof instead of dwelling on the things that made it go away.

Now you probably want me to talk about Blythe, right? Blythe, say hi.

“Hi.”

Wow, so energetic… Anyways.

As I said, this blog used to be a substitute for an anon blog, since I was tired of forgetting to turn on anon in asks. It also made rp’ing easier, as things had started to get more serious with more events happening(which were admittedly, mostly started by me), and it was easier to reblog instead of constantly sending asks. But I never really considered Blythe’s lore until the Sampo I was rp’ing back then announced an event where he would be leaving Belobog, for reaching what I think was 50 followers at the time. I then made a post regarding the event so we could rp, and things had gotten heated between Blythe and Sampo! But back then, the name Blythe wasn’t even thought of. It was just ‘Ahanon’, as I was named by the Gepard and Sampo blog. Due to my emoji, the 🎭, and it seeming like Aha. So they combined it with Anon, creating ‘Ahanon’.

The server was still active around the time, so I was able to talk to the mods clearly about the rp and what could happen for our characters. Characters? When had I started thinking of my blog as a character and just not myself? It was that specific thread that had started to make me think more about what this blog could really be. How Ahanon and Sampo talked to each other in the thread made it seem as if they had a bond of sorts, so what if I made them their adoptive sibling? Taken in by him? A good start. I developed their personality more through role play, which helped a lot. I recommend it for new OCs, especially if you get to talk to ur rp partner during.

Back to the topic. Then I realized that I needed to make a design for them, so I got some picrew I liked and colored in the parts that I wanted to change about it. Admittedly, I had no idea what I wanted to show in their design. I hadn’t made their lore yet, I was going off the emoji I signed off for them and my impression of them during rp and in general. They actually started out to be rather tall, and eyes similar to Aventurine’s(before his drip marketing, btw). Then I commissioned a friend to draw them, as I wanted more than some poorly colored in picrew that didn’t properly fit my vision of Ahanon. So I told her what I wanted, and she absolutely delivered.

It helped me really look at Blythe. Seeing the proper design somehow made it easier to make their lore. Ah, their lore…

Honestly, I don’t remember the ideas that made me come up with their lore. And I don’t know where I came up with the idea of Maeve either, but I do remember how I made their home planet. It was because of the fact that their first design had eyes similar to Aventurine’s, and there had been a lot of theories regarding how he could be related to the Order. While he isn’t(as we know of), I thought that maybe that could be the case for Blythe. Maybe the reason they got teardrops on their face instead of the usual diamond and spade was because on their back was a birthmark. A mark that their people were born with. For what i based it off on, it was old England. Which is why all names for the planet is in Old English(i used a translator). I havent gone much into its design, but think of it as England in the 1800s.

Blythe themself has really changed my life. In one of the most best ways possible. It gave me something to do in my free time, something to bond over with others, helped me find new friends through their interactions, and helped me rerealize how much I love HSR as well, despite its flaws. And Blythe helped open a path for me to make two more OCs. For MHA and for Genshin, and I love them both just as much as I love Blythe.

Of course, this wouldn’t have been possible without all 116 of you that followed Blythe, and the 30 that followed Vera, and the 4 that followed Manami. Thank you all so much for sending love their way, and for sending me so much support as well.

I’ll be sure to make more and more content for all of them. I have a list of the things I’d like to write for them HAHAHA

So, once again,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

[mr-cold-feet]

Happy new year! Haha, I really am flattered to be a part of Blythe’s journey, especially considering they were a lot of the reason behind how I played Sampo as well. What can I say? I guess good ol’ Sampo Koski just can’t go it alone

[mr-cold-feet]

We have finally found it, ooc’s take on Sampard (also blank template ig)

[mr-cold-feet]

Being the mod here is wild as shit because I can be like fresh outta surgery and none of you would even know if I didn’t say anything. On another note I got surgery yesterday.

[mr-cold-feet]

Am I allowed to No-clip you through a wall? Pwetty Pwease? :)

I don’t see how I’d stop you if I did!

[mr-cold-feet]

Mic check! One two, one two! Sales are back on! I’ll even offer some good discounts for my return!

Ooc has returned!